


That's Why They Say That Light Is Blinding

by kayura_sanada



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Aqua Is A Purist Culture Insert, Discussions About Age Gaps, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, M/M, Not Aqua Friendly, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Relationship Discussions, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Unhappy Terra/Aqua, Ven Makes Everything Better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-23 20:41:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20346388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayura_sanada/pseuds/kayura_sanada
Summary: Terra is in a relationship with Aqua. So why does he feel miserable all the time? Not Aqua Friendly.Fills the "Self Harm" slot on my Bad Things Happen bingo card.





	That's Why They Say That Light Is Blinding

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to think that Aqua is not as bad as this. Internet culture, however, is.

Terra punched the bag before him. Sweat rolled down his back. His arms ached so much he couldn’t say which parts in particular hurt anymore. Still, when the punching bag returned, he hit it again. His shoulders flinched as he remembered how Aqua had responded.

Perhaps it _had_ been unacceptable. When he’d made a passing comment on how handsomely Ven had grown in the past few months, Aqua had looked at him like he’d stabbed Ventus with a poisoned dagger. She’d slammed her fork onto the table, interrupting Ven before he could do more than open his mouth to respond. “Terra!” He’d jumped a mile high. Both he and Ven turned wide eyes on her, but her furious gaze was only for him. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Terra’s shoulders hunched just _remembering_ the tone of her voice. The punching bag bounced off his arm.

“Ven is _sixteen!_ You’re talking about a _kid!”_

Terra sucked in a breath through lungs that burned and burned and _still_ refused to work right.

“I…” He’d held up his hands, paling at the thought of what Aqua was insinuating. “I would _never–”_

“Then don’t start talking about Ven like you find him attractive!”

Terra shuddered, from his neck to his toes. He grabbed the punching bag steady and leaned his forehead against it. Each gulp of air felt like fire.

He _did_ think of Ventus as attractive.

He was a monster.

The weight room was small, stuck in the far corner of the castle. The punching bag was in the corner of _that. _He preferred being down here more often than not simply because of how _alone_ it seemed. Sometimes… sometimes he just wanted to be alone.

He punched the bag a few times, never hard enough to make it start swinging again. His muscles screamed at him, begged him to stop. He continued.

It wasn’t… it wasn’t _like that_. It _wasn’t_. He would _never…_

Never what? Have sex with Ven? He flushed, then paled. The imagery that evoked hadn’t been _nearly_ as horrible as it should have been. Ven was… was…

Terra gritted his teeth. He was in a relationship with Aqua. After Master Eraqus’ spirit had left with Master Xehanort, he’d found a sort of expectation around him. Aqua had started holding his arm, his hand. The other keyblade wielders had exclaimed over how cute they were together. Jokes were made about Terra’s earth and Aqua’s water being a perfect harmony. Someone somewhere started talking about paopus. Before he had known it, he and Aqua had been considered just as much a ‘thing’ as Sora and Kairi. It was just… normal.

Expected.

Not a week after the battle over Kingdom Hearts, Terra had found himself in a relationship with Aqua. When she’d leaned up on her tip-toes in Destiny Islands’ sand for a kiss, he’d found himself obliging her. Taking an active role in what had been, just a short while before, a confusing whirlwind of assumptions.

And now? Now that they had been returning to a more normal rhythm these past few months, getting used to being themselves again, awake and in the realm of light and in control of their own bodies? Why was he looking at Ventus with appreciation over the muscles he’d formed in his arms and the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed? Why did he sit next to Aqua with a stiff back, waiting for the roof to crash on his head?

With a sharp suck of breath, he returned to punching the bag. His muscles gave sharp protest, pinging warning signals from his calves to his feet up through his spine and into his arms and shoulders and neck. He was so sweaty even his hakama was starting to cling to his ankles. If only he could bottle this aching exhaustion. If only he could drink it whenever he started thinking about Ven, or about Aqua, or about _anything_.

If only he could stop thinking.

After a long time of battling against the inanimate object, his body finally gave out. He slumped to the floor, sucking tiny little gulps of air, his body shaking as he struggled to breathe through lungs that hurt too much to work. His head spun.

“Terra?”

He flinched. Slowly, he turned his head to the door. Aqua stepped inside, her lips thin. She passed the weights and the mat, coming to stand beside Terra and the bag he’d beaten into a dented shape. She looked from it to him, her eyes narrowing. “Have you been down here this whole time?”

He had no idea what time it was. From her tone, however, he could only assume it was very, very late. “Sorry,” he said, suddenly even more exhausted than he’d been just moments ago. “Is everything all right?”

Her lips went so thin he was surprised they didn’t disappear entirely. “I had hoped by now that you might have apologized to Ven.”

He flinched, curling slowly into himself. No. He hadn’t. Selfishly, he had chosen to hide down in the weight room instead.

With legs that felt like jelly, he pushed himself to his feet. Even now, as he stood taller than Aqua, he felt smaller than an ant. He opened his mouth, only to close it. What could he say? Agree? She already knew she was right. Apologize again? He’d already done so, and her gaze hadn’t changed.

There was nothing left but to slink off, head low, body screaming, and head toward Ven’s room to do as Aqua said and apologize. The sweat on his skin barely started to dry, but it itched. He scratched at his arms as he trembled forward. Behind him, he heard Aqua leave the room. She didn’t come up beside him, didn’t go so far as to escort him, but he knew very well. She would be waiting to hear how the conversation had gone. He dreaded the end of the night.

By the time he reached the hall leading to their sleeping quarters, he felt grimy and disgusting and was itching his arms and wrists like mad. Coward that he was, he passed Ven’s room and entered the bathroom.

He caught sight of himself in the mirror. His hair was stuck in clumps, his face red as he continued gasping for air like a drowning man. His eyes looked cloudy, his shoulders drooped. Every inch of his skin was soaked with sweat. He scratched his cheek, then his upper arm, and grimaced. He felt disgusting.

Turning on the shower made him jump; the sound was loud, bursting in the quiet like a thunderclap. He wondered if Ven was already asleep and suddenly feared taking too long, having to face what he’d done come morning. The thought of trying to sleep with this over his head was almost worse than the thought of facing Ven after what he’d done. He stripped and stepped under the scalding spray. The water pounded against his skin like lava.

He scrubbed liberally at his skin, until it was as red on his legs and stomach and chest as it was on his arms. He scrubbed and tugged at his hair, lathing it in shampoo and moving a clump of pulled hair into a ball to be tossed out when he left the shower. It was so hot he continued gasping for air even as his lungs recovered. When he was finally done cleaning himself, he closed his eyes and let himself stand in the heat of the water's spray.

A few minutes was enough for him to start grinding his teeth, his mind working through what to say to Ven and coming up empty. Only the fear of having to wait even longer to face his punishment got him moving again. His body ached as he turned around to turn off the shower. His muscles, frozen in place while he stood dazed, hurt even worse as he forced himself to move again. His knees buckled as he reached out for the towel. He slammed one leg against the lip of the bathtub. A sharp cry burst from his lips before he could stop it. He teeth clacked audibly when he cut the sound off.

He dried himself, threw away his loose hair, and dressed back up in his old clothes. He’d forgotten to grab a change of clothes, and he didn’t feel like heading to his room, just in case Aqua was there waiting for him. He looked up to find the mirror fogged over. Good. He trudged out of the room.

Ven’s room was right next to the bathroom. Despite himself, he thought about the quick, easy trip between the two rooms, thought about meeting Ven outside the bathroom, maybe before he’d changed from his own shower. He felt sick. He body still felt sweaty. He scratched at his arm and knocked on Ven’s door.

“No, Aqua.”

Terra blinked. It had been a long time since Terra had heard Ven that angry. He cleared his throat. “Ven?”

“Oh!” He heard the creak of springs, then the rush of feet, before Ven apparently tripped and banged against the wall.

“Are you all right?”

Ven threw open the door. His forehead was red, but he beamed at Terra, anyway. “I’m fine! Come on in.” Ven grabbed the hand Terra was scratching himself with and led him inside. Ven kicked the door closed behind him.

As always, Ven’s room was one of ordered chaos. He’d stuffed his telescope behind his bed, blocking the lower shelves on his bookshelf from reach. A small table held his 3D LED light, successfully blocking off yet more items from his grasp. Terra shook his head, envisioning Ven wriggling underneath the table to reach his clothes and feeling twin reactions of amusement and lust. He paled.

Ven tried to tug Terra to his bed. He stopped cold; Ven suddenly looked comic, pulling on his arm until his entire body bent into an angle. Terra winced as his muscles got yanked. “Ven,” he said quietly. Ven turned to him, only to scowl. “I’m so sorry.”

Ven scoffed. “Come _here.”_ He tugged him forward again. This time, Terra could do nothing but comply. Ven sat him on one side of his bed, beside the pillows. Terra sat as stiff as a board. His back hurt enough that his shoulders trembled. Ven, when he plopped onto the bed, sent those aching muscles jostling. Terra bit back a yelp. “Sorry,” Ven mumbled, suddenly very conscious of every move he made. It just made his body hurt worse to have the bed jostle so much. He didn’t say anything. “There,” Ven said, satisfied that he hadn’t made Terra jump in pain again. “So–”

“Ven, I should never have said what I did. I would _never_ – I mean,” he said, altering course, knowing this shouldn’t be about him. “you’re – I only meant–”

“Terra, I’m almost seventeen!” Ven threw his hands up in the air. The words shocked Terra silent. “I know I’m not considered an adult yet – even though Riku’s sixteen and no one calls _him_ a kid! – but that doesn’t mean I’m not capable of making my own decisions!”

The words nearly flew from Ven’s tongue. Terra’s brows rose. This had clearly been bothering Ven for a while. “I’m… sorry?”

“No!” Ven slapped the bed. Terra winced. Thankfully, this time Ven was too affected by his own emotions to catch Terra’s reaction. “That’s just it! You said I’ve gotten handsome. I…” Ven flushed. “I was _happy.”_

Terra’s breath caught. The words alone would have been enough, but seeing that flush on Ven’s cheeks – ah, crap. He was thinking of Ven as handsome again.

“I’m old enough that I want to look good. There… there’s someone I want to impress.”

Terra’s lips pulled back. Why did hearing that hurt so much? He wasn’t trying to impress Ven; _he wasn’t like that._ So why did he think about Ven with some nameless girl and feel the darkness in his heart rise?

“I’m nearly an adult. I _know_ what I want. And I’m not a kid!” His words seemed disjointed to Terra until Ven looked back at him. Were those tears in Ven’s eyes? Even with his brows in a deep ‘v’ of anger? “Don’t let Aqua make you feel bad for calling me handsome! You complimented me on becoming an adult. You… you complimented me on my looks.” Ven’s face flushed red as a beet. He picked at the covers beside his thigh. “You don’t have to apologize for that!”

Terra wiped sweaty palms on his thighs. He didn’t want to think about Ven and becoming an adult. He couldn’t think like that anymore. “Aqua–” he started, only to see Ven scowl again. He scratched the back of his palm.

“Aqua’s _wrong!”_ Ven grabbed Terra’s hand as he scratched along the edge of the tendons leading to his knuckles. Terra jumped. “I’m _not_ a kid! No matter what she thinks, I’m adult enough to be a wielder, adult enough to be a _master_, and adult enough to make my own decisions! And I’m not gonna let her choose that stuff for me anymore!”

The last words seemed to be more for Ven’s benefit than Terra’s, but he shouted them with firm conviction. Terra’s insides writhed for a little while longer, but he thought he just might be able to settle. “You know I didn’t mean it like that?”

“Of course you didn’t! I can’t believe Aqua would ever think that you did!” Ven tugged at Terra’s hand, making him lean closer. His back and shoulders protested, but he himself did not. “You’re a good person, Terra! You would _never_ be okay with something like that! The very fact that Aqua said that – I’m so _furious!”_ Despite being apparently ‘furious,’ however, Ven simply crushed Terra into a hug. “Please, _please_ don’t let her make you feel like you’re a bad person. Please don’t let her ruin what those words meant to me.”

Terra blinked. Oh.

Slowly, he let himself hug Ven, too. He tried desperately not to think of the shape of Ven’s shoulders or the way the warmth of his body felt. How much he wanted to sink into the embrace and just breathe in Ven’s scent. He felt safe here. For the first time in a long time, he felt _warm_.

Ven had been happy to hear Terra say he looked handsome. He’d taken it as a sign of his growing maturity, and maybe – maybe he’d even thought it to be a compliment?

He tensed again, however, at the thought of what he’d _meant_. He hadn’t meant maturity. He hadn’t been talking about Ven’s mental or emotional growth. He’d meant… _physically_. He pulled away, ignoring how tightly Ven clung to him. Finally Ven gave up and pulled away a few inches. Just enough to look into Terra’s eyes. “Terra?”

“I meant your body,” he said, forcing the words out, speaking them so quickly Ven looked momentarily confused. “When I said that – I was… I meant it – I was talking about–”

“And I’m _thanking you for that!”_ Ven held Terra’s arms and shook him. “I _know_ you meant my body! _I’m almost seventeen!_ I _told_ you I have someone I want to impress! Do you have any idea how happy it made me to hear you thought I looked good?”

Terra blushed. Oh.

The words finally seemed to sink in. Ven rolled his eyes. He crossed his arms, looking for all the world like… like a sullen teenager. The thought made Terra’s lips twitch. “Aqua needs to stop treating me like a baby.”

“She’s just watching out for the both of us.” He looked away, toward the door. The thought of heading back out there and facing Aqua’s wrath made him want to curl up on the bed and never leave. He reached up and ran a hand through his hair. “You were nearly killed because of Xehanort and Vanitas. As for me…” He found a hair that vaguely hurt against his scalp. He wrapped his thumb and forefinger around it and plucked it out. There. It couldn’t hurt anymore.

Ven grabbed his hand. Terra jumped. “Terra…!” Ven looked at his bed, his lips pulling back as if grimacing. He looked back at Terra. His eyes were wide. Pleading. “Someone spied on me.”

Terra jumped again. _“What?”_

“One of our friends. They spied on me.” He let go of Terra’s hand. Terra barely noticed how Ven rolled the strand of Terra’s hair around in his fingers before clenching it into a fist and dropping it. “They were worried about me. They thought maybe I would… react badly. You know, to meeting Vanitas again?”

Ven looked away again. Terra grabbed his shoulder. “You would never, Ven. You are _you_. Vanitas’ darkness isn’t yours.”

Ven smiled. He reached up and squeezed Terra’s hand on him. “Thanks.” His smile slid. “This person said I was… was too close to it. That I would fall into it. That I would succumb.”

_Who the heck was this person?_ Terra scowled. “Ven–”

“They’re a _friend_. Someone I respect, even care about.” Terra’s mind whirred. Riku? Sora? Roxas? “So they have to be right about _some_ of it, at the very least. And it’s not like I didn’t lose to Vanitas, right? He was able to take over my body. I lost.”

Terra’s hand squeezed Ven’s shoulder so hard he thought Ven winced. His muscles ached in protest, yet he couldn’t help tensing at Ven’s words. “Who said this to you?”

Ven shook his head. He didn’t answer. “They’re just worried about me. Trying to help me become better. Sometimes I do _awful_ things and I don’t even realize it. They chastise me then. I’m awful. I can’t be trusted. I mess up and hurt the people I love–”

“Who is saying this to you?” he snapped. He ground his teeth ordering himself to gentle his tone. “You’re nothing like that. Ven, you’re so-”

Ven slapped Terra’s cheeks. It wasn’t painful, but it left Terra speechless. Ven’s gaze glowered at him. “Terra,” he said slowly, “I am defining your relationship with Aqua.”

Terra’s mouth flapped open. He should have wanted to argue it. He should have pointed out that, unlike Ven, Terra truly _had_ hurt those he loved and _had_ made horrible mistakes. But his mind was still trapped on the idea of anyone saying such things to Ventus. Ventus was the most loving, kind, light-hearted person Terra knew. If there was anyone with a good heart, it was Ven.

Right then, Ventus was saying that was how he saw Terra. He considered Terra good, and kind, and filled with light. He was pointing to Terra and saying, ‘this feeling you have. This desire to protect me from these words. That is how I feel for you.’

Terra’s eyes burned. He blinked. Squinted.

Ven loved him. Ven didn’t want him to think such things about himself. Those feelings of protectiveness and outrage and _hurt_. Those were how Ven felt whenever he thought about what Aqua said and did. No matter whether Aqua was right or not – Ven believed she _wasn’t_, and he wanted to protect Terra from thinking she was.

For the first time, he wondered if… if maybe she _wasn’t_ right. If maybe he _was_ a good person. The way Ven had spoken – the things he’d said. Terra thought them. Terra believed Aqua was right when she said he was too close to the darkness and likely to fail. He believed her when she said he was doing something wrong. But if his reaction to someone telling Ven such things was accurate to Ven’s feelings for _him, _then maybe… maybe his reaction was accurate in other ways, too.

His lips trembled. The words felt clogged in his throat, so thick they nearly blocked his airway. But he forced them through. “Am I…” It sounded desperate. Sad. He tried again. “Do you think there’s something wrong with me?”

Ven’s fingers curled around his cheeks, into his flesh, testing the edges of those nails on his skin. _“No.”_

_Oh._

The very idea sat wrong with him. Ever since he’d failed the exam, he’d been told by all the people he’d loved that there _was_ something wrong with him. That he carried too much darkness, made too many poor choices, trusted too easily, gave too much of himself away. He didn’t fight hard enough, or against the right people, or quickly enough, or with the right weapon. Even when he didn’t mean to, he ended up hurting others, or failing them, or not being enough.

He thought about Xehanort, about him triumphing despite Terra’s best efforts. Yet his mind, caught on Ven’s roleplay, caught on the idea he’d brought up. The fact was that Ven had been taken over, too. Despite battling Vanitas, Vanitas had won. He remembered that bright light, the symbol that Ven had lost, had… had nearly _died_. Yet, Terra realized, no one called him out for it. No one treated Ven like a failure for losing. Riku, either. Even though Riku had failed. And Aqua, too. Aqua had fallen to darkness. So why was only he…?

Ven slid his fingers down Terra’s cheeks to his chin. His gaze was still hard, still demanding. “You,” he said, punctuating his words with that steely gaze, “are a wonderful, amazing person. Just as you are.”

He sucked in a breath. The tears burned deeper in his eyes. “I have darkness in me,” he whispered. It was as if he feared the words. In reality, any attempt to speak louder would make his voice crack.

“We all do,” Ven declared. “Including me.” Ven scooted forward. “But that darkness is a part of _you_, Terra. It could never be bad.” Terra tried to shake his head, but Ven’s steady grip wouldn’t let him. “You could _never_ be bad, Terra. No matter what, you are the kind of person to rather hurt himself than others.” Ven’s fingers shifted. Fell. They traced a path along Terra’s arms… and stopped. Right over the red marks where his nails had scored into his skin. “Your kindness and warmth may include some darkness, but that darkness is kind and warm, too.”

He looked into that unflinching gaze and found himself, for the first time, believing. If just for a second, he believed what Ven was telling him. “I don’t love Aqua,” he said, naming his newest sin. Throwing out more of his darkness as if to slap Ven in the face with it. _Testing_ those words.

Ven lifted his chin, his mouth opening. That steely gaze faltered. Terra’s heart dropped. “Oh,” Ven breathed. Then, a moment later, he nodded. _“Good.”_

“What?”

Ven’s gaze flickered away. His cheeks reddened. When Ven looked back at him, there was something different in those eyes. Ven looked back and forth between his as if searching for something there. Whatever he did or didn’t find, he seemed to push away for the moment. “I love her, and I – I love you,” Ven said, stumbling over that second part and flushing so red Terra thought he could see it on Ven’s arms. “But I don’t want you to be with someone who thinks you need to become _better_ or… or _different_. You’re such an incredible person just as you are.” The flush got deeper. Somehow. “If someone can’t see that, then they shouldn’t be with you.”

_Click_.

It was such a sudden revelation, Terra was surprised it didn’t make an audible sound.

Throughout everything that had happened to them all those years ago, there had been one person who _hadn’t_ judged him. Someone he’d trusted enough to, even at his lowest point, know that they would come for him and stand with him.

There was one person who never doubted him. Who stood up for him. Someone who had reached for him to the bitter end, whose heart had called to him so strongly that even trapped and tired, he’d been able to respond. Someone who was _happy_ when Terra said certain things instead of _furious._

“Though I wish you’d told me sooner!” Terra watched Ven mumble, his hands lowering to his lap as he scowled at the bedding. “I’ve been holding back because of that stupid relationship of yours!”

Terra couldn’t help but smile. “Then you be my stupid relationship.”

They both froze.

“What?” Ven asked.

Terra freaked. He jumped from the bed, already holding up his hands as if to fend something off. Could he fend _himself_ off? “Nothing. Sorry. That was…” The stupidest thing he’d ever done! It was one thing to notice how Ven was growing up and… and coming into his body nicely. That was bad enough! To actually propose a relationship while Ven was still sixteen was just–

“Don’t take it back!” Ven scooted off his bed so fast he nearly fell to the floor. Terra grabbed his arm, afraid of the dangers this cluttered room hid. Ven took the chance to grab Terra right back. “Do you mean it?!”

Terra stiffened.

“You do!” Ven pumped a fist. “Oh, my god. I can’t believe it. I mean – I mean, _yes!”_ He jumped up and down. If Terra hadn’t been so horrified by his own actions, he would find Ven’s adorable. “Yes! Absolutely, one hundred percent yes.”

Terra’s brows scrunched. “Yes, what?”

“Yes, I’ll date you, you moron!”

Terra no longer knew what was happening. “Ven, I… you’re _sixteen_–”

“And perfectly capable of saying no,” he said. “And it’s not like you’re the type to take advantage of me. You don’t know how to take advantage of _anyone_.” Ven held Terra’s hand. “Did you mean it? You like me? You find me attractive?”

Terra flushed. Despite himself, he glanced over Ven’s body, the way his neck tapered beneath his shirt to his shoulders and collarbone, the way his legs shifted beneath his pants. He closed his eyes. “No.”

“_Terra!”_ Ven shook him a little, then rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay. How about this.” Ven leaned in close. Terra was suddenly aware of far more about Ven – the exact shade of his skin, the shape of his nose, the level of heat radiating through his clothing. The way the center of his irises shone nearly ice blue, and the edges nearly black. Every single shade of blue seemed to swirl in those eyes.

Ven stopped right in front of him. Terra’s breath seized in his lungs as he realized Ven was leaning up at him the way Aqua had that day. Terra scratched at his wrist. Carefully Ven covered those frantic movement with his hand. “I want to be your ‘stupid relationship,’” Ven said. His voice was like it had been on the bed. Calm. Steady. Showing conviction and sincerity. “I want you to be impressed with me. I want you to kiss _me._ I want you to love me like I love you.”

Terra gulped. His heart raced. The sight of Ven, so close to him, made his entire body shiver. He tingled. He wanted Ven closer. He wanted to nuzzle Ven’s neck and hold Ven close. Was that… okay? How could it be? Aqua had made it clear…

Aqua.

“She thinks I’m in love with her,” he said. It made Ven blink. He backed away. Terra didn’t know what to do.

“You’re right.” Ven took several deep breaths. Cleared his throat. Patted his clothes down like he was smoothing out wrinkles or getting rid of dust. It was very distracting. “Do you want to be with her?”

No. Terra didn’t know if what he wanted was right or not, but he _did_ know what he wanted. It wasn’t Aqua. “Not her,” he admitted. If he thought about it, he could also admit that he hated himself when he was with her. He hated who she saw him as and hated being that person. “I want to be someone else,” he said. He looked at Ven. “I want to be _with_ someone else.”

Ven grinned. “I want that, too.”

Terra looked at his hands. His arms hurt. “I should tell Aqua.”

Ven linked their fingers together. It looked right. It felt _right_. “We’ll tell her together.”

Terra could already envision how she would react – the things she would say. He winced. He wanted to crawl away. “She’ll say I’m manipulating you. That I’m – I’m training you, or something.”

“But she’d be _wrong_, so fuck her.”

Terra’s jaw dropped. _“Ven!”_

Ven laughed. “Come _on_. The sooner we tell her, the sooner you and I can be a couple!”

Terra wasn’t certain that was how that should work. But he was certain it was what he _wanted_. He let Ven lead him out, let him take the lead. He’d always feared himself more than anything else. But maybe Ven was right. Maybe he wasn’t the one in the wrong.

Maybe… maybe Terra was good enough, just as he was. And maybe, just as he was, he had the right to be _happy_.

He squeezed Ven’s fingers. He certainly was happy. For the first time in months. Maybe darkness wasn’t about his actions, but about how people hurt him. Maybe light wasn’t about being right, but about how one treated someone else. When Aqua looked at him, all Terra saw was his darkness. When Ven looked at him, Terra felt like there was light inside of him.

Ven turned to him and grinned. “I’m holding you to the promise of that kiss, you know.”

Terra felt his heart flutter. It felt as light as the morning sky. “I’m looking forward to it.”

And amazingly, he was.


End file.
